Self-actualization actually means self-expression of a person's creative abilities, his or her innings, and talents. In fact, this need is much more important to the individual than the need for food or safety.
Although the concept of self-actualization articulated in his famous pyramid by psychologist Abraham Maslow has shaped many human views, the definition of self-actualization has been vague.
With this in mind, psychologists Krems, Henrik and Neil began in 2017 to develop a series of studies to examine what meaning people put into the concept of self-actualization and what actions are taken to meet this need. They posed the following three questions for the implementation of this experiment:
A) What fun
Self-actualization and self-expression.
outcomes can further improve self-fulfillment?
B) Can the functional motivations people attribute to their self-fulfillment be systematically consistent with the predictions of life theory?
C) Is self-actualization unambiguously linked to specific functional motifs, or do people consider other types of personal fulfillment (i.e., Eudemonic, hedonic and subjective, wellbeing) also linked to the same functional motifs?
They have reviewed the literature on self-actualization, starting with Maslow's original concept. Despite the popularity of the concept, it was difficult for psychologists to define self-actualization quickly.
Various scientists discussed self-actualization in different terms: "striving for a deep commitment to a valuable goal"; "intellectual development"; "success in selected activities"; "achieving a higher level of personal development", etc.
The study of people's views and behavior in relation to self-actualization begins to close the gap between theoretical representation and living experience.
What are the functions of self-realization?
As part of the development of a series of studies on people's attitudes and beliefs about self-actualization, researchers look at events in the motivational theory originally presented by Maslow. Drawing on the work of Kenrick and earlier colleagues (Kenrick et al, 2010), they present an updated pyramid consisting of the following 7 main motifs: self-protection (from physical harm), disease prevention/preservation, identity, status-seeking, family building, family care (caring for their children and other family members).
They "create a set of motivational systems that arise from the major problems that people have constantly faced in the history of our ancestors. Clearly, by focusing on mating and raising children, their model has limitations and potential policy inappropriate aspects but remains relevant. In addition to breaking down social motivations into detailed categories and eliminating the non-specific term "self-actualization", the updated model shows the various overlapping motivations, rather than the transition to a sequence of blockages. This makes sense more intuitive and corresponds to modern development models.
In accordance with these shifts, the authors of the study present the consequences of the new model:
Application 1: Self-actualization is not necessarily a separate, non-functional movement. Rather, when people pursue self-actualization, they may actually follow the basic motive of seeking status.
Application 2: In contrast to the pursuit of self-realization, people may view the aspirations of other kinds of well-being as contributing to alternative fundamental motifs: "A musician must write music, an artist must draw, a poet must write if he is ultimately happy. A person should be what he or she can be. This necessity we can call self-actualization.
Abraham Maslow
Since Maslow's (1943) hierarchy of needs has become part of our daily concept of ourselves, self-actualization has been a leading contender for a "golden ring" of personal development.
However, social motivations are more fundamental to survival than Maslow may suggest: people are born to caregivers who have the capacity to induce parental (and other) care needs, who in turn provide the basic physiological and safety needs, which are, of course, necessary throughout life for optimal development. Although there is growing awareness of the importance of social relationships, we still tend to think of ourselves as "lonely islands".
Psychological models tend to focus on the individual - especially in Western culture, especially in American culture. We tend to emphasize individual autonomy and self-understanding by really appreciating how important intimacy and communication are. What does self-sufficiency mean?
Our culture can be lonely, and despite all the progress we make with relationships, attachment